Lauren’s Invisalign Blog: Tray #5-8, Propel, and updated pictures

A few exciting changes have happened since my last blog post. The biggest and most exciting news is I got a Propel treatment. Propel is a procedure where they put little dimples on your bone so that the orthodontic process (braces or Invisalign) moves a little faster. For most people, it cuts treatment time in half. The great thing about it is I can now change my trays every 5 days instead of every 14!! Thanks to Propel I am now on aligner #9 and will start #10 this Wednesday. Without Propel I would only be on aligner #7 this week. Everything has gone smoothly with my Invisalign treatment since my last post and I’m noticing some great results. Since everything is going great and there’s not much to report I’m going to fill you in on my Propel procedure that I got 2 weeks ago. This treatment is a great option for someone who wants to finish their ortho treatment quickly or if there is a tooth or area that is being stubborn and won’t move as expected.

The Propel procedure started with getting numb, for me it was just in the front (upper and lower) because those are the teeth that are really moving in my Invisalign treatment. Once I was numb, Dr. Blattner used the Propel tool to make little dimples on my bone around the teeth that are moving the most during my treatment. The technical term for these dimples is micro-osteoperforations. These “dimples” help the bone remodeling process so that the teeth and gums can move faster, therfore shortening treatment time. The procedure is microinvasive so there is no recovery time needed. During the procedure I didnt really feel anything other than occassionally a little pressure but it wasnt uncomfortable. Afterwards, I went back to work and other than being really numb, I felt fine. I did take a tylenol just so that I wouldnt be uncomfortable when the numbing wore off. That evening when I got home, I ate a soft dinner because I was a little sore and didnt want to irritate my gums. I spent most of the evening resting and taking it easy. I was pretty sore but not really in pain and not sore enough to take anymore tylenol. The soreness I felt is almost the same kind of soreness you feel when you put in a new tray. It was just kind of an achy feeling. The next day I felt fine and ate a regular diet. I used some oxygel on my gums where he made the insertions and went on with my day to day life. I attached a picture that I took a few hours after my Propel treatment. It shows where the dimples were made and how small they are.

Since my propel treatment on June 1st, I have been amazed to see how quickly my teeth are moving. I can really see some real results and I’m excited to see even more change as I move forward with each new set of aligners. I am over half way through treatment and currently on tray 9 outof 17. I am changing trays every 5 days instead of 14 days and it is really neat how the next tray goes in like normal. It doesnt feel tight or like it isnt going to fit. My teeth have already fallen into place in those 5 days and are ready for the next aligner. I still have the usual soreness each time I start a new aligner but it doesnt seem to last as long now that Ive had the Propel treatment. Everything with my treatment is still the same and everything feels the same, its just happening at a faster rate now.